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SETTING Q eens NY Earl SCENE ONE (Side alk i f
s f Ta l
from an e tended band to r
& A gela' h
ith eno gh mone
Angela. Reading from a cr mpled note
here he's
e): Ta lor has j st ret rned home to finall
propose to his girlfriend,
ritten do n his tho ghts, he finds
the door to his ho se nlocked and another man in his bedroom
ith Angela. F rio s and
conf sed, he grabs a g n and r ns o t. SCENE TWO (S ee c
e i
Q ee
, NY): Ta lor meets his best friend, Jesse, b
pa phone on the street. Ta lor reco nts
a
hat he sa , and sho s Jesse the g n in his
pocket. Jesse rges him to go back to the ho se and make the man pa . Ta lor hesitates, not
anting to go back to his old
a s, b t
ith his ho sehold and rep tation at risk, is
con inced to make it clear to e er one that Angela is off-limits. SCENE THREE (Li i g
f Ta l
& A gela' h
and Ta lor share. She is thinking abo t ho and ho
lonel the last ear has been
m ch she regrets gi ing in to her night
onl confidant in their home...the
e): Angela is alone in the ho se she itho t Ta lor
ith Carlos, Ta lor's ri al. She sings to her
alls. Carlos sho s p again in this time of despair and
once more, Angela falls for his s eet
ords in Ta lor s absence.
SCENE FOUR (Ta l
e): Angela and Carlos are in the throes of passion
& A gela' h
hen Ta lor and Jesse arri e. Waiting for the right moment, Ta lor recogni es Carlos and in f r , steps o t. Aiming the g n at Carlos, he shoots him in the ribs. Angela in panic tries to console Ta lor b t in his disg st he accidentall fires the g n, shooting Angela. As she la s d ing, sirens are heard. Jesse, not
anting to go back to jail, r ns o t and is killed in a
fl rr of b llets. Ta lor, de astated b Angela's death, takes his o n life.
RUN TIME
MINS
MASKS MUST BE WORN AT ALL TIMES WHILE INSIDE THE KEHREIN CENTER
COMPOSER, LIBRETTIST, CONDUCTOR DIRECTOR
S e e Wallace LaRob K Rafael
PRODUCTION MANAGER PRODUCTION ASSISTANT ORCHESTRA
Moriah Mojo John on Keegan Morri D Compo ed
TAYLOR
Brian Major
ANGELA
Whi ne Morri on
JESSE
T re e B rd
CARLOS
C r i Banni er
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
LaRob K Rafael
MANAGING DIRECTOR MARKETING DIRECTOR FINANCE
DEVELOPMENT
Angela Hamil on Ma reen Smi h Jo eph Tang
DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION
Nikolaj Soren en
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
Daniel Johan on
COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER
Margare Kella
Charismatic baritone Brian Major continues to be praised by critics for his velvety voice and
commanding stage presence.
During the 2020 2021
season, Mr. Major was engaged to make his Chautauqua Orchestra debut singing Paul Moravec and Mark Campbell s Sanctuary Road as well as selections from Porgy
Bess, his Opera on the James debut as Scarpia in
Tosca, and a debut with Maryland Lyric Opera as Ford in Falstaff COVID19 . In the spring of 2021, Mr. Major returned to Opera Grand Rapids as Gary in Douglas Pew s Penny and will join Lyric Fest for a filmed recital of Kurt Weill songs, the Princeton Festival for an Opera Gala, and Opera Delaware for a concert of Shakespeare selections. During the 2021 2022 season, Mr. Major will return to the Columbus Symphony to sing Schaunard in La bohème and as the bass soloist in Beethoven s Ninth Symphony as well as returning to Opera Grand Rapids to sing Ping in Turandot.
Rising star Whitney Morrison has earned praise for her gleaming
soprano
Chicago
Classical
Review
and
big,
vocally
sumptuous performances Chicago Tribune . A Chicago native and recent alum of Lyric Opera of Chicago s Ryan Opera Center, Morrison champions an African American aesthetic in classical music, embracing a style of performance that blends classical singing technique with elements of the gospel singing tradition. Morrison s future engagements include 7 Deaths of Maria Callas with Marina Abramović at the Greek National Opera Athens. Recent credits include: Leonie Baker in the world premiere of Freedom Ride at Chicago Opera Theater, and Sister Rose in Dead Man Walking at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Tyrese Byrd, tenor, is a native of Greenville, SC and a graduate of the South Carolina Governor s School for the Arts and Humanities. He is currently pursuing a Masters of Music degree at the University of Michigan while studying with Dr. Louise Toppin. He completed his undergraduate studies at Furman University, where he studied with Dr. Grant Knox. Recent roles include Miles in
Proving
Up
by
Missy
Mazzoli,
Herr
Vogelsang
in
Der
Schauspieldirektor, Le Prince Charmant in Cendrillon, Arpad in She Loves Me, and the title role in Mozart s Bastien und Bastienne. His concert repertoire includes Mozart s Requiem, Coronation Mass in C and Handel s Messiah, and Mendelssohn s Elijah.
The 2020 21 schedule began with Curtis Bannister s debut in Award winning Apple TV
series, DICKINSON, as Marquis for the show s second
season, returned to Chicago Opera Theatre as the Hotel Manager in new opera THE TRANSFORMATION OF JANE DOE , and in a joint collaboration with Heartbeat Opera NYC, the The Broad Stage in Los Angeles and the Mondavi Center, Curtis is featured in excerpts from Beethoven s Fidelio Florestan and songs by H.T. Burleigh in the visual album, BREATHING FREE, which heightens the Black African American experience
this
performance is nominated for a 2021 Drama League Award. Later in the season, Curtis returns to Chicago Opera Theatre as Baglioni in LA HIJA DE RAPPACCINI, performs with theater and film star, Heather Headley, for GOODMAN THEATER s 2021 Gala and makes his debut at the TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL in the world premiere of the feature film highlighting the revolutionary conductor, Marin Alsop.
The Conductor ,
When first approached about being a part of Undying Love, the answer was an enthusiastic YES. As Black artists
musicians, when you have an
opportunity to celebrate your culture and your stories, you have no choice but to say yes to that call. Undying Love allows us to step into our purpose and aligns with our mission to celebrate Black culture and creativity through the music of Black composers. By paying homage to a story rooted in hip hop, we re able to show the breadth and depth of Black creativity while honoring the richness of our culture. What brings this story to life is the incomparable talent of many Black artists. It s not lost on us the significance of having an opera written by a Black composer, performed by an all Black ensemble. While this is a rare feat in today s classical music landscape, we hope this opens the door for other artists who aspire to create their own spaces on their terms. We re forever grateful for the talent and vision of Steve Wallace and LaRob Rafael. This work has started a new chapter of this Black renaissance in Chicago. A special thank you to Yelley Taylor, Caitlin Edwards, Tahirah Whittington, Rachel Taylor, Thaddeus Tukes, and Jeremiah Hunt for sharing their gifts and brilliance. They have shown a commitment to not only their craft, but I m grateful they are on this journey with us so we can continue to amplify the works of Black composers in new and re imagined ways. Kori Coleman
Undying Love is a first of its kind. Never before has there been an opera based on or influenced by a song from Hip Hop Culture. With this work, it continues the conversation of the validity of Black culture in the so called classical sphere of art that has been partitioned keeping BIPOC creatives generally at arm s length. We are here, and we have been here. And now we bring stories from our pool of Black Genius as Donny Hathaway once said. Not for the sake of acceptance, but for the sake of art telling a story using drama, words, and music which is the essence of those early experiments by the Florentine Camerata in the 16th century when the medium of opera was first born. Many thanks to everyone who made this production of Undying Love possible. To LaRob, all the staff and the volunteers at Hearing in Color for their commitment and dedication to my vision for this project and seeing even beyond the words and music on the page. To my family my lovely wife Robye and sweet daughter Ava for believing in me and supporting my work, my Mom and Dad for taking me to Merit every weekend and establishing my core values. To Geoff and Linda Hirt, Duffie Adelson, and all my other friends and family who continue to support my work. Let s continue to grow and change this world with more groundbreaking art. Steve Wallace
Hearing in Color is so proud to present Undying Love to the world. Steve Wallace, composer librettist , has begun something we have not yet seen in opera
drawing
from the stories in Hip Hop songs and using the medium of opera to convey a similar drama. Often separately, we appreciate these artistic vehicles, now we can draw from the well spring of Black Culture to continue to tell stories that we are familiar with and excited to see told on the grand stage. More importantly, Steve has created an opportunity for us to see Black characters experience dynamic humanness that is not situated in their collective oppression or ability to rise above it. Undying Love is a snapshot into these characters lives and their inability to navigate
the
incredibly
potent
and
realistic
feelings
of
love,
infidelity,
hypermasculinity, anger, and grief. Human feelings, however extreme. The importance of this work is beyond the qualifications of typical classical institutions. This is a door now open, a ceiling now broken. It is my hope that Hearing in Color builds upon this moment to continue to show how powerful it is to amplify our own stories, unqualified by Garrett McQueen eloquently states
as producer, bassoonist, and podcast host,
the Classical Industrial Complex.
My sincerest thank you s to: My amazing Hearing in Color team
This performance
is impossible without your commitment to our work. Sam
Becca Hartman
Pickerill, North Shore Baptist Church, Caitleen Kahn, Lynx Project, WFMT Chicago, Moriah Mojo Johnson, Sharon Morgan, Ed Siderewicz, the Kehrein Center for the Arts, D Composed, Brian Major, Tyrese Byrd, Whitney Morrison, Curtis Bannister, Jennie Oh Brown, Dan Nichols and Aphorism Studios, Eric Arunas and Forest Strong Lafave. And of course, all of you who support Hearing in Color. Enjoy the performance! LaRob K. Rafael.
Hearing in Color Young Composer Residency
G en Ma amba Diversifying the roster of choral composers performed in concert halls is of the utmost importance in our industry, and Hearing in Color wants to help lead the charge by supporting and uplifting emerging composers from varying communities to try their hand at choral composition with one of Chicago s leading professional ensembles. That is why we are so excited by this collaboration with La Caccina, and by the announcement of our first composer in residence, Gwen Maramba!
Do you know a young BIPOC composer Have them send an inquiry to info hearingincolor.org OR Click below to learn more! Tap here!
Thank you to all our donors who believe in the work we do by helping us present the stories and voices that need to be heard. Thank you for growing with us. The more we allow for people of a variety of different backgrounds to authentically tell their own stories it allows an opportunity for you to receive an authentic experience of somebody s story being told Steve Wallace If you would like to join in supporting our future work of sharing the music, stories, and composers who have historically been excluded from musical spaces, consider making a donation at www.hearingincolor.org donate.
#GivingTuesday is only two weeks away! Help us continue bringing world premiere performances like Und ing Lo e and initiatives like our Yo ng Composer Residenc to life! www.hearingincolor.org donate
Hearing in Color is grateful for the support from our community partners organizations:
Hearing in Color is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas a non profit arts service organi ation Contributions for the charitable purposes of Hearing in Color must be made payable to Fractured Atlas only and are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law